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About your columnist, Pat Old

Pat began spinning while still in her teens (that's 30+ years ago). After settling on a sheep farm in the King Country, an area in the mid-western North Island of New Zealand, she tried weaving and felting as well (and got hooked!) but exploring spinning technique remains her passion. She has developed a sensitivity and knowledge of wool over many years of woolhandling in the farm wool shed and has added to that knowledge through study towards a Certificate in Woolhandling Systems at Massey University in Palmerston North.

As well as being a national spinning tutor for Creative Fibre New Zealand, she is a past Quality Mark Convenor for that organisation and facilitates their Advanced Spinners Group.

Her current area of work involves experiments in multi-coloured yarn design using a "diz" and components of the worsted spinning system, and in spinning, designing and knitting natural coloured ganseys for members of her family.

"I love character handspun yarns, but I only accept yarns of good character."